Project Summary/Abstract Veterinary clinical diagnostic laboratories are not only important to prevent and control animal diseases, but they are also essential to monitor important zoonotic agents, as well as, detect contaminated feed with microbiological or chemical agents. Veterinary diagnostic laboratories, play a very important role in monitoring antimicrobial resistance trends in bacteria isolated from animals. Early and accurate detection of zoonotic and foodborne disease pathogens, as well as monitoring and analysis of antimicrobial resistance, is a priority of the Center of Veterinary Medicine-FDA. The main goal of this application is to obtain funding through a cooperative agreement which will be used to provide equipment, supplies, training, and proficiency testing requested by the FDA Vet-LIRN on an annual basis for a five-year period. While the Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory (CDL), College of Veterinary Medicine, the Ohio State University will benefit with this agreement, the FDA CVM Vet-LRN Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Program, benefit by adding national laboratory capacity. Specific aims of this cooperative agreement are as follows: 1) to strengthen coordination with veterinary diagnostic laboratories through the Vet-LIRN Program while participating in the three key project areas (sample analysis, provide data, additional projects/method validation), 2) to train, equip and proficiency evaluate technicians to perform such testing as is necessary to ensure the safety of the food supply and accurate diagnosis of pathogens in clinical samples, 3) to participate in the Vet LIRN Whole Genome Sequencing Project by providing bacterial samples as a Source Laboratory.